He’s bringing a new generation to Riverdale! Michael Consuelos is telling big bad Hiram Lodge’s origin story in season 5.
The actor, who first played the younger version of the character in the flashback episode from season 3, returned to the fictional Murder Capital of the World in August 2021 to show viewers why Hiram (played by Mark Consuelos) is the way that he is. By that, of course, we mean a mobster who is often at odds with his daughter Veronica Lodge (played by Camila Mendes).
“It was such a treat. I was pretty surprised because I had a tertiary part in the previous episode,” Michael told E! News’ Daily Pop in August 2021. “They gave me a lot to do this time. They had a lot of faith in me and it was a gift to be back and I’m psyched.”
In the season 5 episode titled “Citizen Lodge,” fans will get a first look at Hiram’s younger years through the eyes of his real-life son. Michael is in fact actually related to Mark, which explains how similar they look.
“Mark joined us in season 2 and he’s been such a terrific addition to the show. He’s been completely up for being our big bad. He’s such a good actor and we’ve never really done an episode that focused on Hiram in a really deep way,” Riverdale showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa told Entertainment Weekly in August 2021. “It was so great to have Michael [Consuelos] do that episode and I think it was really special for Mark and Michael. And I do feel like we’re building to quite a thing with Hiram this season so it’s good to understand what makes him tick a little bit more. It’s a very off-the-beaten-path episode but we can’t wait for people to see it.”
For Michael, it wasn’t too hard for him to get into character since he knows his dad so well in real life.
“Hiram and my dad are pretty different people altogether. I think I was able to get his mannerisms a lot quicker because I’ve been around him so much,” Michael explained on Daily Pop. “There’s bits of my dad that show up in Hiram that I was able to harp on. Hiram is someone who knows what he’s talking about and so is my dad. I feel like my voice is that with a little bit less confidence. So, I had to inject some of my dad’s confidence into my lines.”
Scroll through our gallery for everything you need to know about Riverdale star Michael.
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